Kurt’s Hikes

A hot and pretty day, a son and his girlfriend visiting from Raleigh and a good wet spring . . . what better place for a hike than the Cascades and Barney's Wall?

On this day, we began northward – the hiking direction of 99 percent of the thru-hikers in these Virginia woods at this time of year.

Well, we've tried two different parking areas, and two different attempts from the prescribed one and have not yet found the alleged 4.2-mile loop that takes you to the top of Fort Lewis Mountain from Bradshaw Road in Roanoke County.

What is there left to say about one of the most popular and most photographed hikes in the area? Well, seven things that maybe aren't quite as common knowledge as the great viewpoint.

Kurt and Gail double down and head to two trails in one weekend, one to "Hey" Rock overlooking Carvins Cove and the other along the Blue Ridge Parkway!